CENTER FOR NATURAL RESOURCES &
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY FIVE-YEAR REVIEW
REPORT, 2009-2014
The Center provides an impartial, non-partisan forum for citizens, officials, and researchers
to exchange ideas, develop and analyze natural resources and environmental policy options, and
solve public problems. It fills a relatively unique niche that combines a focus on natural
resources and environmental law and policy with a focus on collaboration and conflict
resolution. This is an important enterprise for Montana, involving the allocation of scenic
landscapes, water resources, forests, and other factors. It engages the public with Federal,
State, and Tribal agencies. The center supports the UM Strategic Plan by serving Montana and
world, and by educating future leaders.
It is one of 45 such centers in the US, including 19 in the West. Like the CNREP, most are
embedded in law schools. The Center is based in Helena in rented space, and would like to have
an office on the UM campus. With 2.75 FTE personnel, the center has no plans to add faculty or
staff. The Center’s director is Matthew McKinney of the UM School of Law.
Its recent agenda includes:
 Trans-boundary conservation issues in the Crown of the Continent region of the USA and
Canada, as well as other global trans-boundary issues;
 Land and water governance issues with First Nations in the Columbia basin, and with the DNRC
in the Clark Fork Basin;
 Large landscape conservation issues with the FWP Private Lands/Public Wildlife Commission;
 Climate and industry issues;
 Helena and Lewis and Clark National Forest plan revision issues with the USDA Forest Service
ECOS of the Faculty Senate does not consider CNREP to be controversial, as it offers clear
benefits to students, the University, the State, and the Region. CNREP is interdisciplinary in its
faculty and in its scope of work. It has a vibrant interactive relationship with twelve or more
academic units at UM, conducts three classes per year and matriculates ten new students each
year toward a graduate level certificate in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution. The Center
conducts social science research and lists 25 recent publications.
The external review completed by Patrick Field of the Consensus Building Institute (March 5,
2015) concluded that the Center achieves significant impact on behalf of the University, across
the state and region. Mr. Field cautioned that the Center is limited by its funding, and felt that it
could enhance its profile with an office on campus and an official affiliation with an on-campus
academic department. He further noted that with its long-time director advancing toward
retirement, the Center faces a transitional challenge in the years to come.
Our analysis of the budget indicates that the Center is not revenue-neutral. In the past FY, it
received $95,640 from VPR out of its total revenue of $910,547. Interestingly, the center spent
a total of $810,867. That left a surplus of $99,680, which is in excess of the funds provided by
the VPR. Those funds, from the Kresge Foundation, can be carried over to the next FY. In FY
2014, the Center listed half of its costs as consultant fees ($516,000).
Recommendation: The Center for Natural Resources & Environmental Policy should continue to
function at The University of Montana. However, the VPF could consult with the VPR about
returning unused funds each FY.
Justification: The Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy is an established,
productive, contributing center that benefits students, the University, the State, and the Region.
However, perhaps it could become revenue-neutral without requiring funding from the VPR.